


Innocent Bystander

by joggerfive



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, F/M, Female Runner Five, Masturbation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,963
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27949418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joggerfive/pseuds/joggerfive
Summary: When Sam goes to fetch Runner Five for a last-minute fuel run, he finds her in a compromising position. Set in S1/S2.
Relationships: Runner Five/Sam Yao
Comments: 3
Kudos: 13





	Innocent Bystander

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea in my notes for so long that I don't even know how I thought of it in the first place. Also, this is my first attempt at writing anything remotely nsfw so please go easy on me ty

Sam and Maxine were in the comms shack, sitting in companionable silence at opposite ends of the desk as each of them attended to their own paperwork. Misery loves company, after all. Maxine finished writing on a page and moved it to the side, then focused her eyes on the small yellow note that was previously hidden underneath.

“Sam?”

He didn’t look up from his paperwork and instead only answered with a non-committal mumble.

“Did you see this?” She continued, as she placed the note in front of Sam’s eyeline.

He tore his tired eyes away from the sheets of paper in front of him and looked at the small note. It read:

**_‘Need an extra fuel run immediately. Tell the runner(s) to head west – Mr. Harrison reported a garage there with multiple tanks.'_ **

From the neat handwriting, he knew the author of the note was Janine. And from the use of capital letters and underlining, he knew he was screwed. Sam swore as he shot up from his chair, suddenly full of energy.

“When was this put here?!” He asked Maxine, panic evident in his voice.

“I don’t know!” She exclaimed, immediately feeling the effects of Sam’s anxiety affecting her.

Sam mumbled to himself as he searched through his pile of papers, before finally finding the one he needed.

“Okay,” he said quietly, more to himself than to his companion. He sat back into his chair and ran his fingers down the rota with all the residents’ allocated jobs throughout each day, searching for a runner who was currently available.

“Five hasn’t been for a run yet today, and she should be free right now.” He concluded, letting out a large exhale, “That’s fine. That’s good. She can go get fuel.”

“On her own?” Maxine enquired, looking sceptical.

“She’s strong!” Sam defended, “I saw her pick up Jack once. _And_ she was tipsy at the time. She can handle carrying some fuel, right?”

She shrugged in response, which was good enough for Sam.

“Okay,” He rose from his chair quickly, knocking over his (thankfully empty) mug as he did so, “I’m going to go find Five. I’ll be right back.”

Maxine didn’t even have a chance to say goodbye as Sam scurried out of the comms shack, the door slamming behind him.

* * *

The Sam that returned to the shack seemed like a completely different person from the one who left. He now walked slowly, with a permanent crease fixed between his furrowed eyebrows. He walked past Maxine without even acknowledging her as he thumped down into his chair, looking into the distance.

“Did going over to the runner’s dorms really get you that out of breath?”

“Hmm?” Sam replied, finally looking over at the doctor. She had a slight smirk on her lips as she took in Sam’s appearance from top to bottom. His cheeks were so pink that they were almost glowing, and he seemed to have a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

The room was silent for a few seconds as Sam’s brain tried to catch up with what his friend had said, finally letting out a small ‘ha, yeah…’ as a response, then looked back down at his papers.

“So...” Maxine said slowly.

“So, what?” Sam replied defensively, still staring at the exact same spot on the paper.

“Five?”

He looked up again in confusion, then realised what she was alluding to.

“Oh! Yeah! She was… um… in the shower.” He babbled.

Maxine placed the pen she was using down on the table, “Her shower slot is in the evening. I know because I see her there when I go for my showers too.”

“Yeah, um, I meant she’s- she was… sleeping.”

Turning in her chair, Maxine levelled Sam with narrowed eyes and folded her arms, trying to see through his lies. This silence lasted for about five seconds before Sam broke it.

“Look, she’s just… she’s busy, okay? I’ll just… I’ll look for another runner. It’s fine. It’s nothing.” His arms gestured wildly as he spoke, his eyes darting around the room.

“Why are you so flustered?” An amused lilt became present in the doctor’s voice.

“I’m not!” She raised her eyebrows at him, keeping her arms folded as she waited him out again. This time, it took only three seconds for him to crack. “It’s… I’m… It’s private!”

Maxine’s glare immediately softened at the idea of gossip, “Was she getting changed?”

“No!” Sam exclaimed loudly, surprising both of them, “No.” He repeated, at a more acceptable volume, “I didn’t see anything.”

“But there was something to see?” She goaded.

“No, nope, nothing, nuh-uh.”

“So there was.”

“No! I… It’s…” Sam spluttered, before taking a small breath, “Don’t you have work to do?” He accused.

“Oh, this is _way_ more interesting.” Maxine said gleefully, revelling in her friend’s discomfort. He scoffed as she continued with her interrogation, “So… she wasn’t getting changed… Was she having sex with someone?”

“No! She wasn’t… with anyone…”

When Sam winced at his choice of words, Maxine thought through his response. Suddenly, it clicked.

“Wait! Was she masturba-”

“Shhh!” Sam exclaimed loudly, the blush on his cheeks intensifying as Maxine laughed.

“It’s only us in here!” She chuckled, amused by his embarrassment.

“Just don’t talk about it!” He begged, covering his flushed face with his hands.

She ignored his request completely, “Didn’t you knock?”

Sam moved his hands away, looking almost insulted, “Yeah, of course I did! She must’ve not heard me though…” He trailed off.

“Or maybe she did, and she wanted you to see?”

Sam recoiled backwards as if he’d been slapped, “What?”

“Oh, come on,” Maxine said sarcastically, “You guys are always flirting with each other-”

He groaned loudly, he did not have the energy for this lecture again. He suspected that it was slowly becoming Maxine’s favourite topic to tease him about. She continued on as Sam dropped his head onto the desk, the collection of papers only softening the thud slightly.

“We are _not_ talking about this.” He mumbled, his voice slightly quieter due to the fact that his face was pressed against the table.

Maxine continued on, seemingly powered by her partner’s misery, “You were gone for about ten minutes, it doesn’t take that long to walk to the housing. How long were you standing at her door for?”

Sam’s head lifted immediately off the table, his eyes wide as his brain absorbed the last thing she had said. Maxine raised her eyebrows at his reaction, waiting for a response which finally came.

“We are _definitely_ not talking about this.”

Maxine let out what could only be described as a cackle as Sam grunted in frustration and threw a highlighter at her head, which she expertly dodged. She then grabbed a nearby pencil and threw it back at him, hitting him square in the (still blushing) cheek. Before their shenanigans could become an all-out war, the door to the comms shack swung open with force.

Janine walked in, immediately frowning at the two people in front of her who looked up at her like two children ready to be scolded. As she took in the scene, the corner of her lip raised slightly for a millisecond, before straightening once again.

“Dr. Myers, Ms. Marsh needs your assistance in the hospital. Nothing major, but she says she felt a muscle twinge in her back as she was helping plant some seeds in the farm earlier. She would like you to take a look to make sure it’s nothing serious.”

“Of course.” Maxine replied seriously, her playful side immediately taking a back seat as she stood and walked towards the door.

Sam let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding as the two women walked out, thinking that he’d been spared.

Then, Janine halted in the doorway and turned around to face the operator, “Have you sent someone for the fuel run yet, Mr. Yao?”

Damn, didn’t quite get away with it.

“Not yet…” He said under his breath.

“Well? Do so now!” She ordered, “I believe Runner Five should be available during this time of the day.”

Sam thought he’d managed to keep his expression neutral, but as he heard Maxine snicker as she left, he knew he hadn’t.

* * *

Sam shuffled outside of the dorm that belonged to Runners Four and Five, brimming with nervous energy. He’d been standing there for a few minutes at the least, judging by the fact that multiple other runners had walked past him in the corridor with quizzical looks. When he saw Runner Fifteen for the _third_ time (once to go to the kitchen for food, once coming back with the food, and now coming back with an empty bowl), he decided it was time to bite the bullet.

He knocked loudly this time, so forcefully that the door seemed to rattle on its hinges.

“Five?” He shouted through the door, “It’s Sam. Can I come in?”

“Yeah!” Came the immediate reply, making Sam nervous. Was she still… indecent? He opened the door, keeping his gaze focused on the ground as he walked in. When he began to speak, it was as if someone had pressed the fast-forward button on a remote to make him talk at double speed.

“I need you. For a supply run. For gas. It’s for Janine. Well, I mean, it’s for the whole township since the gas benefits everyone, but Janine’s the one that asked you to go. I mean, she didn’t ask for you specifically. Not that she wouldn’t want you, you’re probably the best runner we’ve got. Oh, no, shouldn’t have said that. Not supposed to have favourites. Not that you are-”

“Sam?”

His head snapped upwards, finally looking at the runner. Five was still lounging in her bed, covered up by the threadbare blanket as she had been during his first visit. She seemed… relaxed. Satisfied, almost. As soon as his brain started supplying ideas of why that would be, his cheeks began to flush again. Then he remembered that she had said his name.

“Yeah?”

“I’ll go.” She seemed to be holding back a smile, but before he could analyse that any further, he just nodded and broke eye contact.

“Great. That’s great. Very helpful. I’ll be waiting in the comms shack then. You can… get yourself ready.”

And with that, he scurried out of the runners dorms before anyone could realise the state he was in while leaving the room that Five was occupying. There were already rumours about the two of them, and that would only add fuel to the flame.

* * *

About a quarter of an hour later, Five strode into the comms shack with confidence, snatching a headset from the makeshift charging dock. Sam watched her like a hawk, looking for signs that she knew that he… knew.

“I feel so much better after taking a nap,” Five started as she turned the headset on, then placed it over her ears, “it makes me feel so refreshed and energised.”

Sam stayed completely still, moving his gaze to the screen in front of him and staring intently at the monitors, even though they were displaying no activity whatsoever. He wondered whether what she’d said had meant to sound like a euphemism, but kept his mouth shut just to be safe.

Five was unaware of the operator’s strange behaviour as she fiddled with the sides of the headset so it wasn’t so loose. She continued on, “Once you get one under your belt, you have a much more productive day.”

Sam swallowed a gulp. Was _that_ a euphemism too?

“Do you like naps?”

His brain seemed to short-circuit for a moment when he realised the runner was waiting for a reply. Did she mean actual naps or… what she had been doing earlier? Well, either way, the answer was still the same.

“Yes.”

* * *

Sam clenched his fists as he heard Five during her run. It had been about ten minutes and he was already wishing that the run was over, for his own sanity. Listening to her breathing through the microphone (as low-quality as it is) usually doesn’t bother him, but now he can’t stop thinking about how her breath had sounded similar when he walked in on her earlier. Little, gasping breaths. Over and over again.

“Oh, God.” She said breathily.

He closed his eyes tightly, biting his lower lip. That _definitely_ didn’t help where his mind was going. Sam shook his head as if that would make the inappropriate thoughts dissipate.

“Sam.” She spoke up again in the same breathy voice.

He held back a groan. Would that be what she sounded like if she said his name during-

“Sam! Zoms!”

“Shit!” He opened his eyes and focused on the screen in front of him, indeed spotting multiple zombies right in Five’s path. He snapped into serious radio operator mode, instantly forgetting the thoughts from earlier as he helped his runner out of danger.

* * *

The door to the comms shack swung open, the (mercifully still alive) Runner Five placing her headset to charge as she let down her hair from the ponytail, a few strands sticking to her sweaty, flushed face.

She spoke quickly and energetically, still feeling the effects of the adrenaline, “That was a close one, huh?”

Sam fiddled with his hands nervously, not having enough courage to turn in his chair and look the runner in the eye. “I almost killed you.” His voice was quiet and nervous.

Five scoffed, “Not on purpose!” She saw his shoulders hitched up to his ears and his hands clenched. She moved closer, “Hey, look at me.” Sam’s eyes flitted upwards to look at her, guilt plastered all over his features. “I’m okay. I’m good.”

“Yeah, but you could have not been!” He exclaimed, surprising Five with his loud voice.

“Hey, you were doing your best-”

“No, I wasn’t!” He interrupted frantically, “I was distracted and I need to talk to you about why or else I’ll keep thinking about it.”

Five looked at him with narrowed eyes, “Okay.” She prompted, “Talk to me then.”

He gave a big sigh, breaking eye contact again as he mustered up the courage. “I saw you.” He admitted quietly. “When you were… in your bed.”

“I know.”

Sam’s head snapped up immediately. She knew he was there? Was Maxine right? Did she _want_ him to see?

Five continued, “I talked to you. Are you okay?” She scanned his face with a concerned look, “You look kind of hot. Are you running a fever?”

Sam sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. “No, not then. Before that.”

“Before?” She wracked her brain, “You mean a few days ago? When you gave me back that DVD you borrowed?” She shrugged, “Look, it doesn’t matter-”

Sam decided that he had to say this now, before Runner Five graciously gave him a way out. He cut her off, the panic coursing through his veins making him speak louder than intended.

“I saw you masturbating!”

In the same exact moment, the comms shack door opened to reveal Jack and Eugene. The latter had his mouth open wide in shock, whereas the former had a grin on his face like he’d just won the lottery.

“We can come back later.” Jack mused, laughter present in his voice.

“Yeah,” Eugene added, once he’d gotten over the shock, “No-one listens to us anyway.”

The pair shuffled backwards in unison, erupting into giggles before the door had even closed fully. Sam risked a glance at Runner Five to see her reaction, but she kept a straight face, nothing giving her away other than the fierce blush on her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry,” Sam began, bolting up from his chair to stand in front of Five, “I didn’t mean to. I promise. I was heading over to ask you to go on the run. And I knocked! Just not loud enough, I guess. And once I realised what was happening, I closed the door and left. And I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want to embarrass you or make you upset. I’m so so sorry-”

“It’s okay.”

“And I-” His jaw snapped shut, “What?”

The runner rolled her eyes, “I said its _okay._ ”

“Wh- I- Um- Wh-” He stammered.

Five continued with a small smile, “I have to strip after every run so a doctor can check me for bites. I’ve been walked in on in the shower more times than I can count. And on my second week here, I was out on a run with Three and he just dropped his trousers and started taking a leak in a bush without warning me first, and _that_ is something I can never unsee.” A chuckle bubbled up through Sam’s chest without meaning to. Five grinned at the melodious noise and continued, “Modesty is long gone. Its okay, I swear. And I appreciate you telling me.”

Sam let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and gave a relieved smile, “Okay. Sorry again.”

“Stop it, I said its fine.” Then a cheeky smile came across her face, “If you really want to make it up to me, you could give me your portion of baked beans next time it’s in the canteen.”

He laughed, happy to still be on joking terms with his runner after this whole incident. “Done.”

Five gave a reassuring pat to Sam’s shoulder, then turned to head out of the comms shack. While walking out, she couldn’t help but make one last comment.

“Or, if you’re not willing to give up your beans, we could always have a role reversal instead.” She said nonchalantly, closing the door behind her.

She heard Sam’s coughing through the door even as she walked away.


End file.
